


The Possibilities of a Silver Lining

by Myoneloveismusic



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Alternate society, M/M, Minor Violence, assassination attempt, pleasure slaves, royal!Tim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 05:35:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17217989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: Jason hated the pleasure slaves that were often bought and kept by the wealthy or royalty. The practice disgusted him and he could never understand why anyone would want to be put in a position where they were owned and claimed by a single person. He'd rather die than ever let himself be put in such a helpless place. But when his mother sold him in exchange for enough gold to get by, he found himself bound to Timothy Drake, the one royal who'd refused any slave presented to him. Perhaps, their shared attitudes towards the system they were being forced to participate in would lead to something Jason could bear.





	The Possibilities of a Silver Lining

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of the three fics that I wrote during this year's NaNoWriMo and I'm very excited to start sharing these! I enjoyed working with Tim and Jason's dynamic as always and hope you enjoy the new fic!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Jason ignored the whispers that always filled the shadows of the worst part of town. For those subjected the most to the whims of the wealthy, the poor were strangely obsessed with everything the higher classes did. And not in the kind of judgmental way that criticizes their life choices and questions their motives for what they decided to do. No. What they cared about was keeping up with all the gossip like it was the greatest story the world had ever heard.

And the one person who always seemed to be the talk of the town was Timothy Drake.

Unlike the other young members of the wealthy class, he practically had no interest in the partners that were bought and kept on their leashes for those who could afford them. The practice was disgusting. Jason hated every instance of it.

He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that anyone would want to be subjected to the humiliation of being used whenever their owners got certain desires or whims. They were kept at the sides of their owners, dressed in nothing but a loincloth or dress, if that.

And from what Jason could see, the partners who’d been enslaved, because it certainly couldn’t be called anything else, looked like they were begging for any form of attention their masters gave them.

It was disgusting and degrading, and Jason knew he’d never stoop low enough to even consider offering himself up for something like that.

He’d get by using any means at his disposal and he’d do it happily. If it kept him his freedom, that was all that mattered.

But what got everyone in the whole city so obsessed with Timothy Drake was that he wasn’t looking for a partner and it didn’t matter who was brought in front of him. He’d turn away every man, woman, or person like they held no interest for him. Those who wanted to become partners were desperate to set up a meeting with him, hoping this would be their chance and they could prove to the world that they were the one who was good enough for the Drake heir. That they had what it took to change his ways like no one else had.

Jason sneered to himself as he turned the corner to his small shack of a house, the half-loaf of bread he’d managed to pay for from his meagre earnings tucked tightly against his side inside his jacket to avoid catching the eye of anyone with slippery fingers. Or a slippery blade.

The street was unusually quiet, and Jason glanced around himself, wondering if someone had gotten in trouble with one of the gangs again and they were all keeping a low profile.

Jason rapped on the door to his house, giving the silent signal to his mom they’d developed so long ago. It was a question of whether they could enter or not. Whether it was safe to do so. And it also ensured each other that whoever was at the door was familiar and safe.

The door was pulled open abruptly and Jason blinked, staring at his mom in shock. She never eagerly answered the door. Even when she knew it was him, she’d stay on guard for fear of what someone else might do or see.

“Mom?” he asked.

She was grinning, smile bright and blinding, the edges of her eyes crinkling up in what couldn’t be described as anything other than joy.

“Jason I’m so glad you’re home,” she said, pulling him inside, leaving the door open behind them.

Jason tensed and pulled away from her. “What’s going on?” he questioned.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, reaching for him again. He took a step back, staying out of reach.

“You’re acting strange. What happened?”

Her happiness fell away, and she looked uncertain and nervous.

“I have some great news,” she hedged.

Jason stayed silent, watching her closely, knowing she’d grow uncomfortable and break under the silence.

She reached under the folds of her dress and moved over to the table. She pulled out a velvet pouch, pulling the opening wide before she upended it and let a pile of gold coins fall onto the wooden tabletop.

Jason’s eyes went wide, and he rushed forward, throwing down the loaf of bread, not caring what happened to it in the sight of such riches.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, picking up a handful of coins.

“I sold something,” she started, already scooping the coins back into her bag.

“Sold something?” he asked, looking at her. “What did you have to sell?”

She shifted, hesitating before she slipped the next three coins into the purse.

Her silence set off loud bells in Jason’s head and he scrambled away from her.

“No,” he breathed, dread constricting his chest. He frantically looked around. He didn’t have any belongings. He could make it out easily. He could leave the town and get on to the next one on foot. He’d find work and make enough money and handle himself.

“It’s no use, Jason. They’ll treat you well.”

“Bullshit,” he spat, attention returning to his mother who shrunk under the concentrated fire in his eyes. “You sold me! You sold me as one of those pathetic slaves!”

Her hands trembled as she hid the purse under her dress. She held up her hands, trying to calm him down.

“Jason, I didn’t have any other-“

“Choice?” he finished. “You didn’t have any other choice? You had plenty of choices. We’ve been managing just fine. But you had to go and sell me.”

She moved to say something else, but Jason shoved past her. He wasn’t going to wait around for whatever group came to collect him. He was going to make his escape and no one was going to stop him.

“Jason, it’s pointless. They’re not going to let you go,” his mother said, following after him.

“Who’s not going to let me go?” he hissed. “Just who exactly did you sell me…to…” he trailed off as he stepped through the open door of their house, finding a small group of white horses on the road in front of them.

A regal group of men perched on top of them, watching him with disinterest. A woman in a resplendent dress was standing in front of an ornate carriage.

Jason recognized her as Janet Drake. His stomach sank further, and he wasn’t even thinking when he took off at a sprint down the road.

His chest heaved, panic constricting his lungs and heart at the implications all of this meant. If he was caught, he was going to be caged forever and would have no hope of freedom.

Hooves pounded after him and Jason turned down a narrow alley that led between two sets of close shack houses. The horses wouldn’t be able to follow through the narrow opening, but that wouldn’t stop the guard from finding him on the other side.

Jason slipped out of the opposite opening, the hooves a little more distant because of the lengths of wood and metal the sound had to reach over.

He turned right and ran several yards down another main road before he slipped into another alley that would keep him hidden from sight. He burst out the other side, glancing over his shoulder as he went right again down another road.

No one was behind him. He had a little bit of time but if he didn’t get out of the city and find somewhere to hunker down to avoid their search, they were going to find him and flush him out. They’d turn everyone against him with the promise of rewards. Some of them would gladly look for him without the incentive because they couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to willingly give up the chance to be paired with someone of such high caliber.

Jason swallowed, chest tightening. He was glad that he already lived so close to the edge of the city. This was his one chance to make it.

He sped up as he approached the next intersection. A streak of white moved into his vision, a horse rearing back on its legs at him. Jason fought to slow his momentum and slip around it but ended up tripping over his own feet.

He hit the ground with a thump, a cloud of dust rising around him. His chest heaved, and he pressed his hands into the dirt, scrambling to his feet as two more horses approached. The man on the one above him was shouting orders and giving him commands, but he was deaf to all of it.

Jason fought to straighten and start running again but something wrapped around his arm and yanked him backwards. He landed on his back this time, twisting his head in the dirt.

A slim rope was wrapped around his wrist.

“Let me go!” he screamed, fighting to sit up and claw the rope from around his wrist. “You can’t take me. I won’t let you!” he snarled.

“Lady Drake paid for you,” the man holding the rope explained. “You are to come with us and report to their Manor.”

Jason growled, his nails missing the rope on his next effort to break free and scratching deep gashes into his arm instead. He was numb to the pain. He welcomed it. Maybe then it would break him out of the nightmare he was currently living in. He couldn’t survive this. This wasn’t the kind of reality he wanted.

A calloused hand wrapped around his unbound arm and pulled it away before he could harm himself further.

“That’s enough,” a gruff voice barked in his ear. “You’re coming with us and you are going to cooperate.”

Jason snarled and struggled, fighting against the hold on him but he was held fast. Two more men came over and together the three guards wrestled his arms behind his back and secured them with rope.

He tugged and pulled, desperate to break free of it as he was forced to walk towards the ornate carriage he’d seen earlier. They pulled the door open and he was shoved inside onto the free bench.

When he tried to make a move to jump back out of the carriage, the door was slammed in his face and the carriage jolted forwards, pulling him away from his life as he knew it for good. It didn’t matter if he made his escape from the Manor, which he would fight tooth and nail to do, he couldn’t go back to his old life. He’d be reported. His only hope was to make a break for it and get out of the city and forge a new life for himself.

Janet Drake stared at him, hands folded in her lap and eyes narrowed.

“I was hoping you would’ve behaved better once we’d arrived, but I suppose we’ll have to work on your manners,” she said, voice prim and steady.

Jason bared his teeth at her. She rolled her eyes and he felt some of his anger dissipate into surprise. He never would’ve expected someone from high society to show exasperation.

“Stop with the dramatics. My son has refused every partner that’s been introduced to him and we’re tired of waiting for him to make a choice. That’s why you’re here. His birthday is coming up. We’re hosting his party in a day’s time and you’re our gift to him.”

“I’m not a fucking object,” he snarled.

“Perhaps not. An object wouldn’t talk back the way you do. But it still stands that we paid for you. We own you. And if Timothy rejects you, which he hopefully won’t have the sense to do, then we’ll find another place for you in our home. You’re able-bodied and we have plenty of horses that need to be cared for.”

A sliver of hope sparked in Jason’s chest. He could handle being an indentured servant and working for a bed and some food. That would give him something do to. He would still be owned but he’d be working. He wouldn’t be in such a vulnerable position as partners were.

“But first we have to get you back and get you cleaned up. You’re disgusting and disgraceful. And your arm will need to be tended to. We can’t have you walking around with infected scratches. It’s not healthy and will call into question our ability to find someone of the proper breeding for Timothy.”

Jason tuned out Janet’s words as she continued to talk. He looked out the window of the carriage and watched the buildings go by. They slowly morphed from the more dilapidated squalor the city’s poor lived in to the nicer two-story homes of those with stable jobs.

They paused for a moment when they reached the gates guarding the wealthiest district. He knew they were designed to keep the poor out but to him the low boom of them shutting behind him was the bars of a cage falling firmly closed, trapping him inside if he didn’t find the key to escape.

Janet fell silent and watched the homes slide by, the distance closing between them and the Drake household. Each of these houses was gifted with large structures covering three stories. Countless rooms fit inside, and large swaths of land surrounded the buildings and housed everything from pools to stables to small ponds.

It was too shiny. Too pristine. It was all wrong.

Jason struggled to breath as they turned up a long drive, a glittering metal gate falling closed behind the carriage and horses. The walls pressed in around him and everything was too much. He couldn’t let this happen. He couldn’t let this become his life.

It wasn’t what he wanted. He’d never survive.

Instead of going around back to a servants’ entrance, they stopped in front of the ornate double doors at the top of the steps. Janet stepped out of the carriage first and Jason tried to make a fuss, but he was easily dragged from his seat. He landed in the dirt with a groan and Janet threw a scathing look at the guard that had pulled him free.

“You’d best be careful with him. He’s for my son and I don’t want him to look any worse than he already does. You’ll take him to the bath and get him cleaned up and in proper clothes,” she hissed, standing tall.

“Yes, Lady Drake,” they squeaked, pulling Jason to his feet.

They hurried him inside, nearly dragging him along the tiled floor when his feet didn’t carry him fast enough.

Jason wanted to drag his feet and force them to practically carry him to their destination, but Janet sent him a withering look.

“Move your feet,” she hissed.

Jason nodded and kept up as best he could, forced around corners and dragged through turns in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Janet snapped her fingers and a guard hurried in front of her, pulling a door open. She stepped inside first, Jason following and found a large bathtub in the middle of the room. A maid was already running the water. She tested the temperature under her hand before sticking the plug into the drain to allow it to fill.

“Get his hands untied and those disgusting clothes off. I want them thrown away and a clean pair brought for him. He should be close to the size of one of our guards if we don’t have anything that fits him directly,” Janet ordered, directing the servants and guards around her. She turned to Jason and leveled him with a glare as his hands were untied, watching him like she knew he was going to make an escape.

Jason let his arms hang limp at his sides, knowing that now was the absolute worse time to run. He’d have to wait until he had a moment alone or the people of the palace were comfortable with his presence, letting their guard down so he could slip away.

“Now you,” she continued,” eyeing Jason up and down as one of the maids pulled his shirt up and over his head. “We’ll get something nice tailored for you. You’ll need it for Timothy’s birthday party if nothing else. I’m not sure how he’ll want to clothe you yet so while you’re waiting over the next day for the party, we’ll dress you in more casual clothes. Do you understand?”

Jason nodded. She pursed her lips and he was worried what she might snap at him, but she turned away instead and moved to a spot away from the tub. The maid who’d pulled off his shirt tugged at his pants and Jason forced her hands away.

She gave him a curious look and he opened and closed his mouth, searching for something to say.

“I’ll do it myself,” he mumbled, shoving his pants down around his ankles. He stepped out of his boots as he did so. Before he could even think of moving them away, they were snatching up by the maid and she disappeared into an adjoining room with them.

Jason sighed and watched them go, knowing he was never going to see them again.

One of the guards shoved him towards the tub and a second maid directed him to step into it.

Jason nearly groaned at the warm temperature of the water. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had even a lukewarm shower and a hot bath was out of the question for people who’d lived like he had.

The cuts on his arms stung when he submerged them but he ignored it, wanting to enjoy the feeling of being clean, as quickly as it would be over.

A bucket of water cascaded over his head and he spluttered, some of it inhaled through his nose without warning. Sharp fingernails scraped at his scalp and he winced as his long strands of hair were harshly pulled as soap was worked into them.

He grit his teeth, trying to ignore the pain. He didn’t have much time to get used to it before someone else grabbed his arm and started to scrub soap over the skin, forcing the dirt and grime from his skin that had built up in layers in the weeks and possibly months since his last decent bath.

Everything was too hot and too painful. He didn’t think he’d have any hair left when they got done washing him and he expected the pink of his muscles to be showing once they’d finished scrubbing him clean. The water around him started to turn black and he was almost grateful to step out of it for fear it would dirty his skin again.

He didn’t want to suffer through that kind of bath again.

Jason was left to stand dripping in front of the bath as it was drained. Janet scrutinized him, not letting him cover himself as she inspected every part of his skin.

“Trim his hair,” she directed. “And then get him dressed in the clothes that were brought. We’ll get him moved to his temporary quarters until he’s presented to Timothy at the party.”

A stool was brought forth and he was forced to sit on it, still not given anything to cover himself. They pulled his hair back, combing it harshly before scissors snipped at the strands. Long curls of hair fell onto the ground around him and he winced as a few of them stuck to his still wet skin.

The haircut went quicker than he expected and a slender mirror was shoved in front of his face. He blinked at his reflection, finding a clean face with slightly pink skin staring back at him. His hair draped gently around his face.

“Much better,” Janet said above him.

He looked up at her as the mirror was pulled away and she was smiling at him. It didn’t last long before she turned away and barked a new set of orders.

“Get him dressed. I expect his room is ready by now?” she inquired.

“Of course, milady,” one of the guards said with a slight bow. “We began preparing it as soon as we arrived. It’s been cleaned and the bed has fresh sheets.”

She nodded and smiled. “Excellent.”

Hands shoved Jason to his feet as a pile of clothes was forced into his arms. Janet watched him coolly as he stared at the clothes in his arms before he took the hint and started to dress himself.

The clothes were of higher quality than anything he’d worn in his life and the fabric was surprisingly soft against his skin. He never would’ve expected clothes to be so soft or warm. Most of what he’d worn was threadbare even when he found it or had just enough to buy it from the shop.

Janet nodded when he was fully clothed. “Much better,” she admitted, sparing a glance down at the scratches still visible on his arms. “Now you’re at least presentable for my son. Hopefully your manners will hold up as well. Let’s move on,” she said, starting towards the door.

A guard hastily pulled it open for her as she stepped out.

“Mother?”

Jason froze as he stepped through the doorway and Janet did the same.

“Timothy!” she greeted, voice happy and cheerful. “What are you doing down here?”

A slender man stood in the hall staring at Janet quizzically. “I was looking for you,” he explained slowly. “The staff told me that you were down here in the quarters.”

Jason perked up at how this man, this man that was apparently Timothy, addressed the servants as staff.

Timothy’s eyes glanced past his mother and landed on Jason who stopped breathing at how blue they were.

“Who’s this?” he asked, taking a step forward. “You didn’t say you were getting a new member for our staff.”

“Oh, it’s nothing dear,” she said, trying to brush it off. “Nothing you need to worry about at all.”

Timothy’s eyes traveled down Jason’s body and landed on his arms. He rushed forward and Jason instinctively took a step back when slender fingers wrapped around his wrist and pushed the edge of his shirtsleeve back.

“What happened to his arms? Did one of the guards do this?” he asked, voice low and threatening as he turned a now steely gaze on his mother.

She raised her hands and shook her head. “Not at all, Timothy. You know none of the guards would treat such a person in a way. He did that to himself.”

Timothy narrowed his eyes at his mother, sparing a glance down at the long, ruby-red scratches on Jason’s arm. “No one would do this unless they had good reason to.” He looked away from his mother and stared hard at Jason, eyes searching his face. “Why did you do this?” he asked, voice gentler than it had been with his mother.

Jason swallowed and glanced past him towards Janet who watched the exchange with pursed lips.

“Don’t ask her for permission before you answer,” Timothy said, gripping his chin between his thumb and forefinger to force their gazes back together. “Tell me, honestly, why you did this to yourself?”

Jason swallowed. “I didn’t want to be taken.”

Timothy grit his teeth. “Why were they taking you? Were you wrongfully pulled away from your family?”

“Now Timothy-“ Janet started.

“I didn’t ask you, Mother,” he snapped, eyes never leaving Jason.

“I didn’t want to be forced into the life of a partner,” Jason admitted.

Timothy froze, hands flying away from Jason as though he’d been burned. He rounded on Janet, hands clenched at his sides.

“Mother,” he said, voice low. “Why did you bring someone here to be a partner?” he asked.

She sighed, deflating under his scrutiny. “I wanted to give him to you for your birthday,” she admitted.

“You know I don’t want a partner,” he hissed. “You know I haven’t been looking for one. So why did you think I’d want one for my birthday?”

“Timothy,” she started, holding up her hands and voice gentle like she was talking to a small child. “Your father and I just want you to have someone.”

“I don’t need someone,” he shot back. He huffed a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, disrupting his perfectly styled hair. Jason saw Janet frown, eyeing his hair like she was desperate to fix it. “Which room were you going to put him in?” he finally asked.

“The blue room,” she admitted slowly.

Timothy nodded. “I’ll take him there myself.”

“Timothy-“

“No,” he snapped, wrapping surprisingly gentle fingers around Jason’s bicep. “I’ll take him there myself. You return to whatever party planning still needs to be done and the guards can go with you or return to their prospective duties. I’ll take care of this myself.”

He didn’t give Janet a chance to respond before he was walking Jason down the hallway.

They stayed silent as they walked and Jason eyed him out of the corner of his eye. He was smaller and even though he was royalty and swathed in expensive fabrics, Jason could tell he was hiding muscle and a well-trained body under his clothes.

He wasn’t someone to be underestimated and Jason could only hope that it wouldn’t be used against him and that he could hold him off long enough to make his escape or slip past him once his guard was down.

“I’m sorry,” Timothy said as they turned a corner.

“Gee, thanks,” Jason muttered, voice petulant.

He sighed. “You didn’t deserve to be thrown into this life. Or bought into it, I should say. I hate the practice of partners and never wanted one. If I was going to be with a person, I wanted it to be because we both wanted it and could stand on equal terms. Not because of whatever everyone else claimed and tried to force onto me.”

Jason blinked. “You could let me go?” he asked.

Tim laughed, low and humorless. “As much as I would like that, my mother would never allow that to happen. If I didn’t keep you for my own, you’d be put to work in the Manor. She paid for you and she’s going to get some use out of you. If it’s not through me, then it’ll be through something else.”

Jason slowed his steps and Timothy slowed with him until they stood in the middle of the hallway and Jason stared at the floor below his feet.

“What’s your name?”

Jason wrinkled his nose and glanced up at him. “What?” he asked.

“I just realized that I was never told your name in the time I was talking with my mother. What’s your name?”

“Jason,” he offered.

“No last name?” Timothy asked, lips quirking up in a wry smile.

“Last names mean nothing when you’re forced into service with no hope of escape. Last names don’t matter in my position so there’s no reason for you to know it.”

Timothy’s smile faded, and he sobered. “I suppose you’re right, but I would still like to know. Especially if it’s an important part of you.”

“Less important since it was my mother who gave me up,” he muttered, voice bitter.

They were silent for a moment.

“My name is-“

“Timothy, I know,” Jason interrupted.

“Actually, I prefer to be called Tim. My mother refuses and says it’s less proper but Timothy is too stuffy for my liking. And I can’t get any of our staff to call me anything other than Master Drake.”

“What do you want from me, Tim?” Jason asked, eyeing him. “What could you possibly want from me or have to do with me?”

“Well for starters,” he said, tugging Jason until he started walking again. “I want to get those scratches on your arms cleaned up.”

Tim pushed a door open to reveal a room with blue walls. There was a single painting over the small fireplace. A couch and a large bed were among the few pieces of furniture in the small space.

He walked Jason toward the door set into the wall, walking him into a small, private bathroom.

“This is your space to use how you like,” Tim said, positioning Jason next to the sink. He pushed Jason’s sleeves up and pulled a washcloth from under the sink. He wet it under the running water and dabbed at the scratches.

“I think the soap got any lingering dirt out of there,” Jason pointed out.

Tim huffed and tossed the cloth in the sink, pulling a small wooden box from the cabinet under the sink. He flipped open the top and grabbed a small packet, ripping open the top. The smell of alcohol filled the room and Jason wrinkled his nose.

He hissed when the cloth was dabbed over the cuts, cleaning them to ward off infection.

“Like I was saying,” Tim continued. “This space is to use how you like. Normally, once a partner is given to someone, they share the same space. Mother would no doubt prefer it if you stayed in my room after the party tomorrow, but I’m not going to force you to do that. You can stay in here and have your own space. I’ll give you a few days to explore the rest of the Manor and you can find a place for yourself. We have a library if you like books.”

Tim paused in his ministrations to throw the dirty wipe in the trash. He pulled out a roll of gauze and carefully wound them around Jason’s forearms.

“If any of the guards or staff give you trouble, tell me. They don’t have any right to mistreat you and I won’t stand for it if they do. Once you get used to the Manor, I want you to start working with me.”

“Working with you?” Jason blurted.

Tim nodded, taping off the gauze on one of his arms before starting at his other wrist. “I have many business dealings I have to take care of and my responsibilities are only going to grow now that more of the family business is being passed onto me as the heir. Since I have no interest in forcing you into the traditional role of the partners to use you for pleasure, you can help me manage my workload. Is that going to be a problem?” he asked, staring up at Jason.

Jason shook his head, aware of the heat from Tim’s palms on his forearm.

“Good,” Tim said, finishing the line of gauze on his skin and taping the second one off as well. He packed up the gauze in the wooden box and stuffed it back under the sink. “I’ll leave you to get settled. Remember what I said.”

Jason watched as Tim walked out of the bathroom. He heard the door to the bedroom shut a moment later. Jason glanced at his reflection and scrubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t know what had just happened or what this meant for him, but he hoped that this wouldn’t all end terribly for him.

He stepped into the main room and looked around. It was nice. Nicer than anything Jason ever thought he would have.

And it started to feel suffocating.

He hurried for the door. He might not be able to make it out of the Manor yet, not without a little planning and understanding of the guard and the gate surrounding the property, but he could wander the property and get a sense of the space or find a secluded corner to hunker down in.

It was better than being stuck in an ornate room that he could never hope of being comfortable in.

The hallway was empty, Tim having already disappeared and Jason was hit with the realization that he had no idea where anything was located in the space. Tim said there was a library, but he didn’t know where that was.

He sighed and started walking back in the direction they’d come from. If he found the Manor’s front doors, that would be somewhere to start. It would place him at the location of the sitting rooms and if he was lucky, there would be a servant cleaning or taking care of some business who could direct him where he needed to go.

The plush carpet muffled his steps, keeping the halls quiet. Paintings and busts decorated the walls as he moved forward. He was dismayed to find all the doors closed. If he kept moving, he’d run into someone soon. He had to believe it.

~~

After what felt like forever, Jason was utterly lost surrounded by closed doors and hallways that looked the same. The only thing that changed was the decorations dotting the walls, but they offered no rhyme or reason to indicate which part of the house he was in.

He hadn’t run into a single soul and his stomach was making its protests known after not having eaten a substantial meal since the night before. He remembered the loaf of bread he’d left in his mother’s house and wished he’d had time to at least eat some of it before he was hauled away.

“What are you doing here?”

He turned and found a slight woman wearing plain clothes and holding an armful of linens glaring at him.

“Sorry, I’m lost,” he admitted. “I have no idea where I’m going.”

“Who are you and what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.”

Jason held up his hands. “I was brought here today. And dumped in one of the guest rooms, I guess? I don’t really know. I wasn’t given much of a tour.”

“Fine. But why are you here?” she repeated, obviously growing more suspicious.

Jason sighed, not wanting to admit what he inevitably had to say. “I was brought here to be a partner for Tim-“

“Master Drake,” she automatically corrected, voice harsh and accusatory. Her eyes narrowed, suspicion obviously growing.

“Fine, fine,” he huffed. “I was brought here to be a partner for Master Drake. But I’m not to be presented to him until the party. I was left in one of the guest rooms. The blue one or whatever and told I could explore the Manor to my heart’s content,” he snapped.

She blinked. “He’s finally chosen a partner?” she asked.

“Not really,” Jason admitted. “Lady Drake bought me for him.”

“Oh,” she sighed, sounding sadder than anything else. Her gaze dropped to the pile of linens in her arms. “We all care for him. He’s the kindest of the family and is always polite and respectful to us, doesn’t like referring to us as slaves like we do have some freedom left in this world.”

Jason nodded.

“We always understood his aversion to taking on a partner, but that didn’t stop us for wanting him to find happiness and have something of his own.”

“I think his happiness lies in making his own decisions rather than coerced into doing something he doesn’t want because of societal pressure,” Jason rebutted easily.

She smiled. “You sound fairly confident for someone who’s only known him for a short while. My name’s Katrina. If you’ll give me a moment to put these away, I can show you around the Manor. Or take you to the kitchen if you’re hungry. I’m sure Lady Drake didn’t even consider the possibility that you haven’t had a decent meal in a while.”

Jason grinned. “Something to eat would be great.”

Katrina jerked her head and turned on her heel, walking briskly despite the load in her arms. She stopped a few doors down and knocked gently, pausing to listen to the room within. She pushed open the door a moment later and walked inside.

Jason hesitantly followed her inside, glancing around the ornate decorations of the room. Katrina placed the pile on the small couch before hastily stripping the bed of its dressing. Her efficiency was shocking, and the bed was made between one blink of an eye and the next.

She gathered the dirty sheets in her arms and left the room, Jason hurrying to follow her.

“The laundry room is near the kitchen,” she said as they walked along, taking one confusing turn after another. “All of the servants’ areas are clustered in the same area of the building.”

They stepped through a small, indiscriminate door and the change was shocking. The ornate hallways and decorations were gone, replaced with low ceilings and bare walls.

Jason blinked, his good feeling from earlier dissipating at the stark contrast between the illusion in the Manor and the reality of his situation. Katrina noticed the change in his demeanor and offered a knowing look.

“This way,” she said, pushing into another room that had several canvas rolling bins filled with linens and clothes. Rows of washers and dryers lined the walls to wash the amount of fabric used in the Manor.

Katrina dumped what was in her arms into one of the bins and brushed her hands off before she ushered Jason from the room and further down the hall.

Jason took a deep breath as they walked, an aroma of smells hitting his nose as they neared the kitchen. Raucous laughter filled the air as they turned one last corner. Instead of meeting another door, they passed through a low archway and into a large kitchen.

Several cooks were chatting and laughing, spinning around the tables and prepping food on the cutting boards.

A stout woman stopped in front of them. She inclined her chin towards Jason, eyes narrowing and commanding attention despite how much shorter she was.

“Who’s this, Kat?” she asked.

“Jason. Bought by the Lady of the Manor for Master Drake,” she explained.

She chuckled, her harsh demeanor falling away as she eyed Jason. “Oh, he’s not going to like that,” she mused.

“You’re right, he doesn’t,” Jason offered.

The cook’s eyebrows crawled up her forehead. “So, you’ve met him already?”

Jason nodded.

“Well this just keeps getting better and better,” she grinned. “I’m Thelma, the star cook here,” she said holding out her hand.

Jason shook it with a smile.

“Mind getting him some food? The Lady didn’t think to feed him after bringing him in.”

“You good for a sandwich?” Thelma asked, attention on Jason.

He nodded. “That’s more than enough.”

She grinned and twirled back around the table, pulling out a package of meat and cheese. She sliced a square of bread, spreading a sauce across the inside. Several slices of meat and cheese were layered on top of each other and the sight had Jason’s mouth watering.

Thelma slapped the top slice of bread on the sandwich and stuck it on a plate, sliding it over to Jason.

“Go on,” she said when Jason stared at it.

He didn’t need any more prompting before he picked it up and took a huge bite from the side. He groaned at the taste, his stomach grumbling even as he fed it.

Thelma smiled. “Always do love watching a man enjoy my cooking,” she said. “Once you finish that up, slip that plate into the dishwasher and we’ll get it cleaned up later. You’re welcome to stay and watch our magic happen as long as you don’t get in the way.”

“Not today, Thelma,” Katrina said. “Jason here wants to see the library which he apparently has access to.”

She chuckled. “That has Master Drake written all over it. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from that little ball of fire.”

Jason paused his chewing, but she didn’t seem to notice as she pulled out an onion and diced it into a small pile with expert movements of her wrist.

~~

Katrina didn’t stay long in the library once she’d taken Jason to the spacious room. She’d claimed something about returning to her own duties in the house, but Jason had a sneaking suspicion that she was more worried about being caught by the more prominent members of the household or even the guard.

It would look strange for a maid to be dawdling in the library with Jason. It wasn’t her standing and it wouldn’t benefit her to appear lazy even if Jason were to make excuses on her behalf.

He dragged his fingers along the worn spines of the books. Many of them appeared to be outdated and stuffy.

Jason pursed his lips and swung around the side of the shelf to walk down the next aisle. He spotted some of the classics and pulled them from the shelf, holding them tightly in his arms. He’d read them before but rereading them was better than not having anything to read at all.

He rolled his eyes at the obviously untouched encyclopedias that adorned another set of bookshelves. A small paperback caught his eye, spine turned inwards where it was tucked between the top of a shelf and a row of unused books.

Jason pulled it out and stared at the cover of one of those cut and paste murder mystery novels that could be bought in an airport for a couple of dollars. He tucked it between the top of the pile of books and his chest.

He snaked through the rest of the shelves until he spotted a plush armchair next to a large row of windows. Jason set his stack of books on a small table, keeping the paperback close as he curled up in the chair.

Warm sunlight poured over him from the window and for a moment, Jason forgot about his strenuous circumstances and basked in the warmth as he opened the book to the first page, fingers rasping over the cheap paper and black ink.

~~

“So, you found your way here after all.”

Jason jumped, practically throwing the small paperback across the floor at the new voice. He looked up and found Tim leaning against the side of the bookshelf, arms crossed.

He cleared his throat and straightened. “Yeah,” he agreed. “It took a little while, but I got here.”

Tim stepped forward and stooped, picking up the book. He glanced at the cover with a smile and handed it back to Jason.

“Where’d you find that?”

Jason unconsciously marked his spot. “Wedged between a row of encyclopedias and a shelf.”

“I’m surprised I left this one lying around in here. Normally I try to keep these hidden away in my room.”

Jason gaped. “This is yours?”

Tim chuckled and took the chair across from him. He shrugged, smile never leaving his face. “I have a whole bookshelf hidden away from my mom. She wouldn’t be too happy if she knew I wasted precious free time reading trash like this.”

“It’s not that bad,” Jason argued. He’d been drawn in easily enough, becoming obsessed with the mystery more than the characters.

“Well if you’re looking for more, I can fuel your book habit.”

“That’s a very dangerous thing to do,” Jason drawled, raising an eyebrow.

Tim huffed a laugh and they fell silent, air warm between them.

“If you’re hungry, dinner’s going to be ready in a little bit. I can take you to the dining room.”

Jason swallowed, finally taking notice of the emptiness in his stomach. He glanced down at the pile of books next to him and the one in his hands and hesitated.

Tim smiled. “They’ll be fine. I can bring you back here after dinner and you can take them back to your room. No one will bother them until then. The staff know better than to try and disturb the books in the library.”

After another moment of hesitation Jason nodded. He propped his book open face down on top of the pile and pushed himself to his feet, following Tim back towards the door and into the hallway.

~~

“It’s acceptable I suppose,” Lady Drake mused, walking around him in a circle.

Jason was on the brink of suffocating. The collar around his neck was fitted, the tie pulled snug against his throat. He’d never worn something so constricting in his life and if that wasn’t bad enough, the reality of why he was dressed like this was so much worse.

He was going to be put on display and paraded around like a fucking birthday gift.

Janet turned towards the other servants. “Have him ready in the wings. I’ll make an announcement before you’ll show him in.”

She gave one last look at Jason and the servants before walking out, heels clicking sharply as her dress swished around her legs.

They ushered Jason out behind her, forcing him to walk quickly down the hallway. They stopped behind the double doors Janet disappeared through and from there Jason could easily hear the lighthearted chatter of the party and the music from the string quartet hired for the event.

Silence fell over the crowd and the music drew to a gentle close.

“Good evening everyone,” Janet greeted, voice obviously amplified by a microphone. “Thank you all for coming to Timothy’s birthday party this evening. We’re glad you could all make it.”

Polite applause sounded, and Jason could almost imagine her nodding her head with a disgusting grin on her face.

“We’ve reached the point in the evening where we would like to present Timothy with his present this year.”

Hushed murmurs broke out in the crowd, their curiosity caught up in the mystery surrounding what Tim’s parents could have bought him when he had everything imaginable.

“I know there’s been a great deal of talk about Timothy not having a partner as so many young men have acquired at his age,” Janet continued.

The whispers got worse, excitement rising before it died again, Janet taking back their attention.

“Timothy please come forward,” she said, interrupting her own thought.

Jason swallowed and shifted in place. He rubbed his sweaty hands against the dress pants that were forced onto him. He wasn’t ready for this. He couldn’t do this. He took an unconscious step back, but strong hands held him in place.

“There’s no use running,” one of the guards who’d accompanied him hissed behind him. “Lady Drake bought you and you’ll stay in your place or else.”

“This year we scoured the land searching for the perfect partner for Timothy,” Janet continued.

Jason sneered. He knew that was a lie. They were only looking for someone with a strong enough son who was poor enough to sell off their kid without a second thought.

“Allow us to formally introduce all of you, and finally present him to Gotham’s elite, please bring forward Timothy’s new partner, Jason,” she crowed.

The servants pushed forward around Jason, shoving the doors open. All eyes turned to him and he felt the choking sensation of his tie too tight around his neck. He was given a gentle push forward and took a step.

He half expected the servants to walk him to the front of the room, but they kept back, keeping to the shadows during a moment that was not their own and wasn’t designed for them.

The crowd parted in front of him, giving him space to walk through. Tim waited at the other end. His smile was tight, completely different from the easy one he’d gotten a glimpse of over the past day when they ran into each other at meals or Tim found him curled up in the library with another book.

Tim held out his hand and Jason forced himself to move. He closed the distance step by careful step, trying to ignore the creeping sensation of a thousand spider legs up his back from the unblinking gazes of the people around him.

He was being judged, his worth determined by a simple introduction. The idea made him sick to his stomach simply because it was happening in the first place.

Jason swallowed, dropping his gaze as he approached Tim’s side and turned to face the audience, keeping his eyes on the shiny floor. He couldn’t look at any of them. He couldn’t look at Tim. He couldn’t do anything.

Tim’s hand rested on his lower back and Jason fight down a flinch at the contact.

“Would you like to say a few words, Timothy?” Janet asked.

“Of course, Mother,” he agreed, voice tight but light enough that most people wouldn’t notice. His hand pressed more firmly against Jason’s back as he talked. “I don’t know what to say for this. It was certainly not what I expected this year. Thank you for taking the time to think of me and find something you believe worthy for me.”

“Of course, dear,” Janet said, obviously ignoring, or missing the bite in Tim’s words.

The string quartet began again, and the guests returned to their conversations or started new ones considering how many eyes stayed on Jason.

“Are you hungry or thirsty?” Tim asked, stepping in front of him to force their gazes to meet.

Jason clenched his hands into fists before relaxing them, his palms growing even more sweaty as he heard mentions of his name from the people around them. He swallowed, trying to get his head to clear and air into his lungs.

“No,” he grit out, fighting to shake his head and take in steady breaths. “I think I just need some air.”

Tim nodded. “This way,” he said, prodding him gently through the crowd.

Several guests intercepted their path and Tim talked politely with them. They didn’t direct any of their questions at Jason, hoping to get the answers from Tim like they thought he’d known him long enough to know everything about him.

Jason fought back the bile that rose in his throat. He was officially less than nothing. Everyone in Gotham knew who he belonged to now. He’d lost his anonymity, his hopes of escaping already diminishing as cameras flashed and captured his visage.

He nearly burst through the doors when they reached the side of the ballroom. The air was cool against his skin and he stumbled away from Tim, bracing his hands against the balcony railing as Tim closed the door behind them, muffling the sounds of the party.

“Are you going to be okay, Jason?” he asked, coming up behind him.

Jason’s nails scratched along the stone railing, making him shiver.

“I hate them too, you know,” Tim continued, leaning against the railing at his side.

“What?” Jason croaked.

“The parties,” Tim amended. “I hate the parties. They drive me nuts with all the fake attitudes and insincere politeness. When I was a kid, I used to sneak off all the time to go hide in the library or even the gardens. Back then they didn’t notice when I disappeared, but now I have an obligation to speak with everyone and dance with any courting ladies, not that I have an interest in them. The politics never stop, and I can’t wait until the day I never have to attend another one.”

Jason chuckled and felt himself relax at Tim’s gentle words. “I thought everyone was going to eat me alive in there.”

“No, they wouldn’t touch you,” Tim reassured him, offering a more genuine smile than earlier. “If they’re unhappy with my mother’s choice they complain to her gently, but they wouldn’t want to incur any wrath by harming you or trying to harm you. Not outright anyway.”

Jason stilled. “What do you mean?”

Tim grimaced, face pulling into an ugly expression. “Don’t worry about it. We can discuss this some other time-“

“No,” Jason said, turning to face him. “I want to know. What am I getting into?”

“Because of my…position,” Tim started, voice slow and hushed. “I’ve had people try and…get me out of the picture so to speak.”

“You mean you’ve had people try to kill you.”

Tim nodded, face solemn and pinched. “Yes, I’ve had people try to kill me because of the politics of our city. It’s less likely they’ll try to have the same done to you unless they want to try and get someone into your current position to influence me. But the Manor is very well protected. There’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Jason tensed. “That doesn’t reassure me very much.”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” he admitted.

“Let me help protect you,” he blurted, mouth a million miles ahead of any rational thought.

Tim stared at him, eyes going wide. “I-what?”

“I’m pretty good at fighting. Let me act as your personal guard. I could help protect you.”

“Are you sure?” Tim asked. “You’re already going to be acting as an assistant in a sense.”

Jason shrugged. “What’s one more thing? And it’ll help me feel useful,” he muttered.

Tim smiled and nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“So,” Jason started, glancing at the double doors that led back into the party. “How long do you think we can avoid going back in there?”

Tim chuckled. “I think we can stall for a little while longer. Care to see the gardens?” he asked, waving towards the steps that led to the grounds.

Jason nodded and followed him into the darkness.

~~

Jason fought to keep his nerves under control. He’d made it through the rest of the party and did his best to ignore any comments he heard in passing. Or any conversations Tim had about him in front of him. Although when those conversations happened Tim looked just as uncomfortable talking about him like he wasn’t even worth enough to be addressed.

Once they were able to leave, Janet pulled them aside and directed Tim to return to his room. With Jason.

Tim was silent as they walked, leading him through the unfamiliar halls. Jason shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the back of Tim’s head.

Tim had been nice enough to him so far, but he knew what people expected of their partners. He knew everyone at the party expected Tim to effectively “break him in” their first night together.

Jason thought if he had to, he’d be able to fight Tim off. But there was a chance Tim could still get the better of him and force him to do something he didn’t want to do. He could even have help from the guards and servants if he really needed it. The guards certainly wouldn’t let him get away if Tim called for them.

“This is my room,” Tim said, stopping at the end of the hallway. “And I guess yours now too,” he muttered.

He shoved the door open and stepped inside, letting Jason walk cautiously ahead of him.

The bed was more ornate than the one Jason had slept in the previous night. A bookshelf was tucked into the corner and Jason could see it overflowing with familiar-looking paperbacks. A desk was next to the large windows Jason realized were doors. A computer was on the desk and a couch and plush armchair were carefully organized in the center of the room.

“I had the staff bring you a new change of sleep clothes,” Tim said, moving to pick up a pile that sat on the edge of the bed. He held them out to Jason who cradled the soft material in his hands. “You can get changed in the bathroom first if you’d like. It’s the door next to the bookshelf.”

“Thanks,” he muttered, shuffling over to the door and pushing inside. He shut and locked it behind him, finding he could breathe a little easier now that he had something between him and Tim.

He ignored the mirror and started stripping out of the dress clothes he’d been shoved into. Pulling the tie off was an immediate relief and Jason was going to drop it on the floor when he spotted the trash can. He lifted the lid on the small metal cylinder and shoved the tie inside, determined to never wear one again.

He carefully undid the buttons on his shirt and listened to the room outside. He couldn’t hear anything coming from Tim and wondered if he was changing or lying in wait outside the door.

Jason yanked off his shoes and swapped his dress pants for the sleepwear, pulling the shirt over his head. He wadded everything into a ball and held that under his elbow, clutching a dress shoe in each hand in case he needed something to stand in for a weapon if he was going to get attacked.

He reached for the doorknob when a knock sounded on the door, making him reel back.

“There’s a toothbrush under the sink for you to use. I’m not sure what your preferred brand of toothpaste is but if you don’t like mine, we can get you something else tomorrow,” Tim said, voice coming through the door clearly.

“O-okay,” he croaked, fighting to calm his heart. He dropped the clothes and shoes back to the floor and fell to his knees in front of the sink cabinets, pulling them open.

There wasn’t much underneath and Jason easily found the plastic wrapped toothbrush. He ripped off the thin plastic and dumped it in the trash on top of his tie. He grabbed the toothpaste from the medicine cabinet and accidentally squirted too much on the bristles.

Jason stared at his trembling hands and the blue paste covering his thumbnail. He slowly raised his gaze and saw how pale he was, eyes wide and panicked. He took a deep breath and set the toothpaste on the counter.

“Calm the fuck down, Todd,” he hissed. “Nothing’s going to happen.”

He jammed his toothbrush into his mouth and angrily started brushing his teeth. The familiar motion and the taste of mint helped settle his nerves and hid the outright trembling of his hands.

Jason tried to force himself to brush his teeth as long as possible but the eventual buildup of foam in his mouth left him nearly choking and he finally spit into the sink, washing his toothbrush and cleaning the paste from his thumb.

He stored everything in the medicine cabinet and resigned himself to finally leaving the bathroom. He just hoped that if anything was going to happen, it would be when he stepped out that door and not in the middle of the night.

Jason gathered up the clothes in his arms and readied himself for an attack again. He yanked open the door and found that Tim had already changed into his pajamas. He looked up where he was perched on the edge of the bed and offered Jason a smile.

“You can put your dirty clothes in the hamper over there and your shoes next to the door. I’m going to brush my teeth but pick whichever side of the bed you like.”

Jason waited until the bathroom door was shut before he moved. He tossed his clothes on top of Tim’s and put his shoes where he suggested. He froze as he approached the bed, trying to figure out which side he should sleep on.

Neither side was really closer to the door if he needed an escape and Jason was hesitant to take the side closer to the desk and window because it would leave him less space if he did need to make a getaway, but the position would also give him access to the window and if it meant facing an army of guards in the hallway or a drop that might kill him, he was more willing to take the drop.

Jason pulled back the covers on the right side of the bed and crawled under, laying stiffly on the mattress even as it made a valiant effort to morph to his body and suck him in. The pillow was firm under his head but still cradled his skull.

He picked at the blanket as he waited, listening to the gentle hiss from the sink. A moment later the door pulled open and Tim walked out. He yawned and flicked the light switch next to the bed, shrouding the room in darkness except for the glow of the moon that managed to slip through the curtains.

“Goodnight Jason,” Tim whispered, turning onto his side so his back was facing Jason as he drifted off.

Jason listened intently, eyes wide in the darkness. It didn’t take long for Tim’s breaths to even out, but it still didn’t put Jason at ease. His heart pounded against his ribs, every creak in the house or low howl of the wind making it skip a beat.

He squeezed his eyes shut, breathing through his nose. He clutched at the blanket over him, hoping the hours would pass quickly and the next night he could go back to his own bedroom.

~~

Jason sighed, feeling soft and content and warm. His lips pulled into a gentle smile and he snuggled into the warmth around him, never wanting to leave the wonderful cocoon that he’d been sucked into.

He tried to remember the last time his bed had been so warm and welcoming, and it took a few embarrassingly sluggish moments before he remembered where he was: Tim’s bedroom.

He stiffened, listening for any sign of another person or a threat that could be lurking just around the corner. He knew he was still in his pajamas and he didn’t feel disheveled like someone had tried to grab him in his sleep.

Jason forced his eyes open, blinking against the bright light coming through the window next to the bed. His eyes landed on Tim sitting at the desk. He was dressed in khaki pants and had a red polo on.

He watched as Tim read over something on his laptop, greedily sucking down the coffee in his mug.

Jason slowly uncurled his fingers from the blanket still wrapped around him and sat up, his muscles not protesting getting up for once.

Tim glanced over at him and smiled, lowering his mug so he cradled it between his hands.

“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Good,” Jason croaked before clearing his throat.

“There’s breakfast and coffee on the tray,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “Feel free to help yourself. I know I said you wouldn’t have to start helping me until tomorrow, but I had a meeting come up that needs my attention, so today’s as good a day as any.”

“You have a meeting on a Sunday?” Jason asked, wrinkling his nose. “I thought for all of you high-rollers the weekend was sacred or some shit.”

Tim chuckled as Jason stretched his arms over his head and crawled out of bed for the cart. There was a bowl of fruit and a plate with eggs and bacon, and even a small stack of pancakes with butter and maple syrup covering them.

Jason poured himself a cup of coffee and choked down half of it purely for the shot of caffeine to his system before he started on the pancakes. They were still warm and tender and fluffy. He’d never had anything so delicious in his life.

“There’s a spare change of clothes on the dresser for you. We can get you more things once I get through my meeting today. And if you’d like to shower, the bathroom is all yours,” Tim continued, typing something on his computer.

Jason nodded, barely sparing a moment to breathe because of the food in front of him.

He swiped his last few pancakes through the rest of the syrup and paused before lifting it to his mouth. He glanced over his shoulder and found Tim focused on his computer, giving Jason his own space.

He swallowed before taking his last bite, chewing thoughtfully. He nodded to himself and set the plate down, draining the rest of his coffee. He stood and walked to the dresser, swiping the pile of clothes before he slipped into the shower to get cleaned up.

~~

Jason stifled a yawn from where he was standing behind Tim. The meeting had been beyond boring and they were only just finishing up their discussion. Tim was attentive during the entire hour and Jason had almost wondered how he managed it when he realized how many cups of coffee Tim had gone through that morning alone.

When they’d first walked in, the man across from Tim had given Jason a surprised look but didn’t comment and Tim didn’t offer him any other information.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Brooks,” Tim said, pushing his chair back to shake hands with the man across from him. “I’m glad we were able to get this resolved so quickly.”

“Me too. I will see you tomorrow when everything will hopefully be back on schedule. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon,” he said before ducking out of the room.

Tim sighed and sat back down, leaning back in his chair and looking exhausted.

“Maybe you should take a break,” Jason asked.

Tim shook his head. “No time. The business never stops and there’s always more to be done.”

“You’re going to end up killing yourself at this rate,” Jason muttered. “And then the family business isn’t going to have anyone.”

Tim chuckled but it sounded as tired as he looked. “Come on,” he said, pushing out of his chair to gather the folder of papers he’d brought with him. “I promised that we’d go shopping for some clothes for you and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Jason shook his head. “I really don’t need anything. What you’ve found around the Manor has been enough.”

Tim gave him a look. “No, we’re going. The clothes we’ve found haven’t fit you properly and I’m sure you’d rather have something more comfortable to wear. Besides, the weather is going to be getting colder soon and you’re going to need something warmer.”

“That’s months away!” Jason protested.

Tim smiled and led them from the room. “Better to be prepared, right?”

Jason gaped at him, trying to find something to say. As worried as he was about being taken advantage of, he was quickly realizing how out of his depth he was when it came to Tim.

And he wasn’t so afraid of that anymore.

~~

Jason swallowed as he caught yet another person staring at him. They averted their gaze and spoke in a whisper to the man next to them, pointing in his and Tim’s direction. The whispers weren’t even the worst of it. People had come up to Tim congratulating him on finally getting a partner which didn’t make either of them happy.

Tim worked to correct them and explain Jason wasn’t acting as a partner and was more of a personal assistant. More than one person had given Tim a strange smile because of it. Jason tried not to think about what they were imagining was going on behind closed doors. But they were still better than the people who wanted to physically evaluate Jason. Those questions always made him more than a little sick to his stomach.

“Here we are,” Tim said, pulling another bag of clothes from the counter now that he’d paid for them.

Jason took it from his hand, still feeling his stomach sink at how much money he now owed Tim.

“Look, Tim-“

“No,” Tim said, holding up a hand to stop him. “You’re not paying me back for all of this. I’m doing it because I want to, and you don’t owe me anything.”

“But-“

“No. It’s a gift and I want to do this for you, like I keep saying.”

He sighed when they stepped out of the small shop and started down the sidewalk.

“Look,” Tim said, voice soft as they stepped around a small group of kids running down the sidewalk. “If it’s that big of a deal, that can be our last stop. I won’t make you try on anymore clothes and we can grab lunch before heading back to the Manor. Sound good?”

“Okay,” Jason said. “But the least you could do is let me buy lunch.”

Tim smirked at him, glint shining brightly in his eye. “With what money?” he asked.

“God damn it,” Jason muttered.

Tim chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, really. It’s not an inconvenience if that’s-euk.”

Jason blinked, standing frozen when Tim disappeared from view. He snapped out of his shock and turned where Tim had been walking in front of him. They’d approached a dark alley and Jason rushed into it, finding Tim having been pinned against the brick wall of the building with a hand fisted in his shirt and a knife to his throat.

“Get away from him!” Jason snarled, dropping the shopping bags from his hands.

The attacker, who had a dark hood covering his face, spun Tim around to keep him against his chest. His arm went around Tim’s throat and he held the blade against Tim’s cheek.

Tim’s eyes were wide with panic and his chest heaved as he sucked in panicked breaths, eyes pleading with Jason to do something.

“Don’t hurt him,” Jason said, holding up his hands as he took a cautious step forward.

He barked a harsh laugh. “That’s exactly what I came to do.”

“What do you want?” Jason asked, taking another slow step forward. “Money?”

“I don’t want this scum’s money. It’s because of people like him that our city is so screwed up. It’s corrupt and the wealthy are the ones causing the problems. You should know that better than anyone! Don’t you want to be free from the hell the Drakes have trapped you in because they bought you?!”

Jason swallowed, and he saw Tim’s panic skyrocket like he thought Jason was going to leave him to whatever bloody and painful death this would-be assassin had in store for him.

“And where would I be if I let him die?” Jason asked.

The man’s tense posture deflated in confusion. The blade lowered from Tim’s cheek and Jason took his chance. He sprinted forward, closing the distance. He wrapped his fingers around the guy’s wrist, yanking his hand and the blade away from Tim’s face.

Jason bent his fingers back, forcing his hold on Tim’s neck to go slack as he fought to compensate for the pain. Tim slipped out from under his arm and stumbled away.

Jason used his free hand and slammed an uppercut under the guy’s chin, sending him stumbling backwards only to land on his ass.

“Call the cops, Tim.”

“Right,” Tim stuttered.

Jason kept his eyes locked on the attacker even though he wanted to look at Tim from how funny his voice sounded. He listened as Tim spoke quickly into his phone and explained the situation.

The attacker realized what was happening and cursed under his breath. He tried to sprint past Jason to reach the mouth of the alley and disappear into the crowd, but Jason snagged the back of his jacket and shoved him face-first into the brick of the wall.

Seconds later, sirens sounded in distance. Two squad cars screeched to a stop at the mouth of the alley.

“Down here, officers!” Tim called behind Jason.

“Step away from him, sir.”

Jason looked over his shoulder to find two police officers with their guns trained on the attacker. Jason nodded and loosened his grip before he carefully and quickly walked backwards away from him, giving the cops room to swoop in and yank his hands behind his back to secure cuffs around his wrists.

“Mr. Drake, I have a few questions I’d like you to answer,” one of the officers said as the other one walked the attacker to the car.

Tim nodded, and Jason moved to stand next to him.

“Can you tell me what happened?” the officer continued, voice gentle.

“I was walking with Jason down the sidewalk. We’d just come from one of the nearby stores and were going to get something to eat when I was grabbed.”

“And Jason here saved you?”

Tim nodded. “He distracted the guy long enough that I was able to slip out of his hold.”

“Thank you, Mr. Drake. If we need anything else, we’ll be in touch,” he said before walking away.

“I guess we should get back to lunch,” Tim said once they were alone. “Can’t let a good afternoon out in the city go to waste.”

Jason caught Tim’s arm before he could step away. “Tim…”

Tim shook his head, flashing a smile that looked an ounce of pressure away from crumbling. “I’m fine, Jason. Like I said before, this kind of thing happens often.”

Jason watched as Tim tried to brush his hair out of his face, but his fingers trembled.

“Tim,” Jason sighed, catching hold of his hand to give it a comforting squeeze. “Just because this thing happens all the time doesn’t mean that you don’t have every right to be unsettled by it.”

Tim swallowed, his breathing coming more harshly. His eyes glistened, and pink flooded his cheeks. “I just…I feel so ridiculous. I’ve been through this before and I know it’s going to happen again so why can’t I just get over it and deal?”

Jason pulled Tim against his chest, wrapping a tight arm around his back as Tim choked on a sob. “You shouldn’t have to get used to someone trying to kill you,” he murmured into Tim’s hair.

Tim’s arms wrapped around his waist and squeezed him tightly, holding on for dear life as he cried into Jason’s shirt.

“You’re going to be okay, Tim. It’s going to be okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you again. I promise,” Jason rambled, voice low between them.

The sounds from the sidewalk were muted and far away where they drifted over from the mouth of the alley.

“We should get you home,” Jason said as Tim continued to cry. “Do you have a driver I could call?”

Tim nodded against his shoulder. He pulled back enough to pull out his phone and swipe through his contacts until he found the one he needed. He shakily held the phone to his ear.

“Greg? Do you mind bringing the carriage around to 16th street? You know the store that I shop at? I’m down the street from there. Yes, thank you.” He hung up and slipped the phone into his pocket. “Greg will be here soon. We should wait out there so he sees us and stops.”

Jason nodded. He kept his hand firmly on Tim’s back and walked him back towards the sidewalk. He stopped Tim just inside the opening so people wouldn’t notice him right away.

“Are you okay taking these?” Jason asked, picking up the bags of clothes they’d discarded.

Tim nodded and gripped them tightly. Jason stepped towards the sidewalk and glanced down the street. He blinked when two familiar horses of the four he’d seen when he was brought to the Drake Manor appeared at the end of the road.

He waved a hand over his head, catching the attention of the driver who pulled up at the edge of the sidewalk with a smaller carriage than what he’d first ridden in.

“Where’s Master Drake?” he asked, voice suspicious.

Jason huffed and looked over his shoulder. “Tim?” he asked, voice gentle.

Tim’s head snapped up, his grip tightening on the plastic bags in his hands.

“The carriage is here.”

He nodded, letting out a shaky breath before he stepped forward. The driver leapt down and yanked open the door of the carriage. Jason ushered Tim inside and climbed in after him. Once the door was shut, Jason pried Tim’s fingers off the plastic bags and set them on the floor. He held Tim’s hands tightly in his own, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of his hands to ease the trembling and help drain the tension from his muscles.

The carriage jolted as they pulled back onto the road and made their way back to the Manor. Jason ignored the rumbling and speeding of the motor cars that passed the carriage. He never understood why the wealthy decided to keep the tradition of horse drawn carriages when they were such a hassle and so much slower and he was mentally cursing the practice when he wanted nothing more than to get Tim back to his room as soon as possible.

Tim didn’t show much recognition for Jason. He stared at the seat in front of him, muscles tense and stock still. Jason wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than the trembling.

He huffed and threw an arm around Tim’s shoulders, pulling him tightly against his side. The breath left Tim in a rush and he sagged against Jason’s side, burying his face in his shoulder. Jason tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of Tim’s neck and buried his own face in the top of Tim’s head, hoping he could at least offer the minimum amount of comfort to help him get through yet another traumatic experience in his life.

~~

Jason was surprised when Tim jumped out of the carriage on his own. He grabbed Jason’s hand and dragged him towards the house, Jason barely managed to grab their shopping bags before he was pulled away as the driver watched them go.

Tim kept his head down as they walked through halls and Jason was glad when they didn’t pass Tim’s mother or father or the other servants who would no doubt question Tim’s composure and assume it had something to do with Jason if the death grip on his hand was anything to go by.

Tim slammed his bedroom door behind them and practically collapsed against it, his head thudding against it. Jason winced at the loud noise it caused and let the bags drop from his hand.

He stepped towards Tim and reached out a hand but didn’t touch. “Tim?” he asked.

Tim sighed and as the air left him, he looked like he was deflating or deaging until he was a young teenager. Much too young for all the responsibilities he’d been saddled with.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

Jason frowned. “What do you have to be sorry for?”

“For not explaining. For just dragging you around and subjecting you to my whims.”

“Tim,” Jason huffed. “If this is about how you pulled me back to your room, I’m not mad. You got attacked today. You could’ve been killed. I think you’ve been handling this remarkably well.”

Tim scrubbed at his eyes. “I don’t feel like I have. I feel like I’ve been childish and petulant.”

“Petulant? You?” Jason scoffed. “You shut your mom up so you could get my story from me. I think you’re the farthest thing from petulant there is in the world. Now come on. You deserve a day away from responsibilities.”

Tim looked over at him but didn’t move from the door.

Jason rolled his eyes and wrapped his fingers around Tim’s bicep, pulling him away from the door. He walked them both over to the bed.

“You feel like a movie? Or reading?”

Tim shook his head, looking exhausted.

“Fine by me,” Jason said. He hauled Tim onto the bed and crawled on top of the covers after him. He pulled Tim against his chest, tucking his head under his chin.

Tim laid stiffly for a moment, the position new to them both and only made awkward because of the lack of cuddling they’d done rather than their attitudes toward each other. Jason flattened his palm against his spine and slid it up and down the stiff ridges of his back. Tim exhaled another breath and slowly relaxed under the careful touches until he was sagging into Jason and the mattress below him.

His breathing was steady for several minutes but as Jason continued to rub slow circles against his shoulders and back, it became gentle and deep and took on the barest edge of a low whistle as air moved through his nose.

Jason hid his smile in Tim’s hair, content with dozing off for a nap in the middle of the afternoon and helping Tim relax after the stressful and intense day they’d both had.

~~

Jason groaned when something shifted against him. He forced his eyes open, squinting against the bright light shining over his head.

“What time is it?” he groaned.

“Who gives a shit?” Tim’s sleep-roughened voice sounded below him.

Jason hummed and pulled back enough to look down. Tim was still curled into his chest, his arm clutching tightly at Jason’s waist to keep him from moving away and taking all the warmth with him.

“Not that I’m complaining, but don’t you have important shit to do today?” Jason grumbled, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. He honestly wouldn’t have minded if Tim refused to get up and ignored his responsibilities in favor of cuddling in bed. One day of meetings had already proved boring enough and he wasn’t looking forward to sitting through any more talk of stocks and business and trade.

He was warm and comfortable, and he didn’t want to give up the best mattress he’d ever come in contact with, or the person who’d inherently become his body pillow.

“Who gives a shit?” Tim muttered. “Maybe my mother should take care of it for once instead of forcing it on me so she can go to brunches and get her nails done.”

Jason chuckled. “That would probably terrify any and all of your business partners.”

Tim huffed but didn’t move.

Jason jumped when a pounding sounded on the door.

“Timothy!” Janet screeched from the other side. “You better be out of bed and dressed this instant. You weren’t at breakfast and your first meeting is going to be here in twenty minutes. If you don’t come out in five, I’ll barge in there and drag you out of bed.”

“God fucking damn,” Tim hissed under his breath. He rolled onto his back away from Jason and glared at the ceiling. “I’m up, Mother!” he called, sitting up in a flurry of rumpled bed head and tangled sheets, scowl pulling his lips down.

Jason snickered, and Tim turned his scowl on him, but it wasn’t enough to diminish his humor now that they’d both loosened up around each other.

“What are you laughing at?” he questioned.

“Your hair looks ridiculous.”

Tim grumbled something under his breath and fought to flatten his hair. “I’m taking a shower,” he muttered. “You better be dressed when I’m done because as funny as you think this is, don’t forget that you have to go to these meetings with me, too.”

Jason rolled his eyes and watched as Tim collected a change of clothes and slammed the bathroom door shut behind him. He took an extra minute to climb out of the warm pile of blankets and picked through the bags of clothes they’d bought the day before.

He picked out something casual, a pair of slacks and a dress shirt. He dug around Tim’s desk and found a pair of scissors to cut the tags off with, tossing them into the small wastebasket next to the desk.

Jason changed quickly and managed to shove his feet into the shoes they bought before Tim got out of the shower, hair dripping onto his bare shoulders as he dug through his closet with a towel wrapped around his waist. He sprawled out on the couch and waited for Tim as he got dressed and made himself presentable.

He pulled the door open and strode out once he’d finished changing, having a completely different presence now that he’d cleaned up and had his business clothes on.

“I have a day full of meetings to get through. One of the perks of being part of this family is that they all come to me, so we get to camp out in my office all day and drink unlimited coffee,” he explained as he packed up his laptop in a leather briefcase.

Jason fought to suppress a smile that Tim was using a briefcase when they were going from one room in the Manor to another.

“Don’t give me that look,” he warned, wagging a finger in Jason’s finger as they walked towards the bedroom door. “I don’t need your sass today.”

“Aren’t you going to get breakfast?” Jason asked as they walked quickly through the halls.

“I’ll have some brought to the office for us. And coffee. Lots of coffee.”

Jason opened his mouth and hesitated.

“What?” Tim asked. “Is something wrong with that?”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” he deflected.

Tim didn’t look convinced, but he continued down another hallway, making a beeline for a pair of double doors. He pulled them open and stepped inside.

Unlike the sitting room where Tim had had his meeting the day before, his office was spacious and had floor to ceiling length windows on the back wall that let in plenty of light. A large mahogany desk was seated in the middle of the floor with two plush chairs in front of it. A separate pair of couches and a coffee table were positioned next to the fireplace.

“So, what am I going to be doing exactly?” Jason asked as Tim strode around his desk and pulled out his laptop.

“I just need you to keep me organized. Keep me on schedule and I can show you what we’ve got to deal with today. I may also have you take notes on important things I don’t want to forget. I’m usually pretty good about that stuff but it can’t hurt to make sure we have all the details in order.”

Jason nodded and fumbled with the pad of paper and the pen Tim shoved into his hands.

A moment later he heard the soft whirring of a printer before a spreadsheet of times and names was placed on the edge of the desk for Jason to see.

“You’ll have time to sit down between meetings and I might just give you a chair to sit next to me. Or you can sit in the other chair…I don’t know. What do you think would look most professional?” Tim asked, turning to look at him.

Jason shrugged. “Are all of your clients coming alone?”

Tim nodded.

“Then the second chair would probably be best. As long as we put some distance between it and the one your client is going to be sitting in.”

Tim nodded, already looking tired. Jason bit back the words that Tim should just take another day off if it was that hard on him. He bit back the words and focused on moving the chair around instead, making sure it was far enough away from the client that his presence wouldn’t seem imposing, but keeping him close enough that he didn’t look like he was trying to get away from them.

A knock sounded on the door and Jason looked up, expecting Tim to make some sort of motion or address but he remained engrossed in his computer.

The door opened a moment later and a girl he recognized as one of the other servants walked in with a large silver tray in her hands. She was silent as she stroke around the side of Tim’s desk, perching the tray on the edge.

She placed a small teacup at Tim’s elbow along with a small plate of food.

Jason thought she was going to go ignored and felt anger burn in his chest. He was ready to lash out at Tim for acting so hypocritical when he was nearly allowed to speak his mind, but the other staff were given harsher treatment.

“Thank you, Tara,” Tim said, pulling himself from his computer to offer the servant a smile. Jason’s anger died and he almost smiled, nearly feeling guilty over his reaction. “Did you bring anything for Jason?”

Her eyes went wide, and she looked at him in panic.

“That’s alright,” Tim soothed before she could make any form of apology or excuse. “Please bring him some coffee and a large breakfast. He has more of an appetite than I do.”

She nodded and hastily left the room, the door shutting without a sound behind her.

“I thought she was about to have a heart attack,” Jason murmured, something tightening in his chest.

Tim sighed and took a large gulp of his coffee. “I know. I hate what my mother has done to them. It’s not natural and I don’t want them to be afraid of making mistakes. They’re people. They’re not supposed to be perfect or mind readers, or any other number of things the privileged think of them.”

“This might not seem like much…” Jason started, fidgeting in his seat.

Tim looked at him, gaze alert and nodded for him to continue.

“But I’m glad you don’t treat them like your mother does,” he finished. _I’m glad you don’t treat me like your mother does._

Tim smiled and nodded. “She may have been the woman who raised me but we’re different in a lot of ways,” Tim said, voice soft. “And I’m glad we’re different. I think I have a chance to make things better; make things right.”

Jason didn’t bother agreeing with the truth of it. Tim had surprised him in a lot of ways, but he was still only one man and servants were owned by a large number of people. That kind of change couldn’t happen overnight. It was ridiculous to think it would.

Another knock sounded on the door and Tim sighed and straightened in his chair.

“Come in,” he called.

The door was pushed open and Katrina stepped inside, bowing to Tim.

“Master Drake, your first appointment has arrived,” she murmured, stepping to the side.

“Thank you, Katrina. Please come in,” Tim said.

A man stepped inside, ignoring Katrina as he moved over to the chair in front of Tim’s desk. He eyed Jason suspiciously before taking his seat and Jason raised an eyebrow, not at all interested in what his opinion might be of him.

“Mr. Drake,” he said, offering his hand to Tim who shook it in return.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Thompson. Thankfully we don’t have much that needs to be discussed this morning.”

Mr. Thompson’s lips thinned. “I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate.”

Jason watched Tim’s smile tighten as he took another sip of coffee. “Is that so?” he asked.

Mr. Thompson nodded before he jumped into some long-winded spiel that almost had Jason sneering from how demanding it sounded. Tim was nothing but calm as he listened and even nodded along when Mr. Thompson became particularly huffy.

While he was talking a gentle knock sounded on the door that Jason recognized as how Tara had announced her presence earlier. She pushed into the room and brought a tray of food and a cup of coffee over to Jason. She bowed to Tim who offered her a smile before she made her exit.

Jason reached for the bowl of strawberries, shoving one into his mouth as he took notes with his left hand.

Mr. Thompson glanced at him and sneered, eyeing the strawberry in his hand and the red juice on his fingertips. Jason stared right back and when he turned to face Tim again Jason glanced in his direction. He was surprised to find a frown pulling his lips down from his gentle expression he’d worn throughout the meeting.

From what Jason had seen, Tim always tried to remain polite with the elite he worked or interacted with but now he was openly frowning at the man across from. Jason swallowed his food and carefully reached for the next bite of fruit, more careful about eating this time as he watched Tim’s meeting with more interest than he had before, eyes flitting between him and Mr. Thompson.

Tim was less friendly, and Mr. Thompson sensed the downturn in the conversation, trying to compensate by making his tone lighter. He leaned forward to try and draw Tim into what he was saying, but it was too late. Whatever he’d done had caused enough damage that Tim wasn’t willing to give him much more than was required from him.

Jason finished the bowl of fruit before the end of the meeting and he eyed the cup of coffee when Mr. Thompson stood and shook hands with Tim. He glanced at Jason before he turned on his heel and left, shutting the door behind him.

Jason sighed and wrapped his fingers around the warm cup of coffee. He braced himself and took a sip, wincing at the bitter flavor. He set it as far away as possible and picked up the muffin instead, pulling the paper wrapping to the side so he could bite a large chunk from the side and smother the taste of coffee with sugar.

“You don’t like coffee?”

Jason choked and swallowed the half-chewed food with a wince. “What?” he asked.

“You don’t like coffee, do you?” Tim repeated, eyeing the cup at the edge of the tray.

Jason shifted, unsure of how to explain. “No,” he finally admitted. “I don’t.”

“You could’ve said something, you know. I wouldn’t have kicked you out because you don’t like coffee,” he said with a smile.  

Jason shrugged, staring down at the food in his hand.

“I guess I just kind of assume everyone drinks coffee since I practically live on the stuff,” Tim explained.

“I’m not sure that’s healthy,” he muttered.

Tim chuckled and drained the rest of his cup. “It’s probably not, but it keeps me going when I’m ready to pass out. I’ll drink your cup if you don’t want it.”

Jason nodded and passed him the cup, more than happy to get rid of it.

“So, what do you like?” Tim asked.

“Huh?”

Tim smiled and leaned back in his chair. “What do you like to drink? If it’s not coffee, then what?”

“I like tea,” Jason said, voice soft.

“Way to narrow that down for me,” Tim teased.

Jason huffed. “Fine. I like chamomile, I like mint, and I like Darjeeling.”

“Good to know.”

Someone knocked on the door and Tim deflated, sagging back in his chair. He let out a breath and rubbed at his temples before he forced himself to straighten.

“Come in,” he called.

An elderly woman pushed inside, grinning widely at Tim as she slowly crossed the room. Jason glanced at Tim who was watching her and already rising from his seat to offer his hand.

“Welcome, I’m so glad you could make it, Mrs. Bane.”

She grinned and shook his hand before taking his seat. “Thank you for meeting with me this morning.”

“Of course. Anything for you.”

Jason ducked his head and returned to his food, keeping one ear on the conversation even as most of it went over his head and none of it held any interest for him.

~~

“Tim, you seriously need a break,” Jason said as he passed him another cup of coffee. He’d lost count after bringing in the fifth one, but he knew they had to be in the double digits by now.

Tim rubbed his eyes. “I can’t. I have work I need to get done before my round of afternoon meetings.”

Jason huffed. “Is this work relevant to this afternoon? Or can you get through the meetings without needing to have this done.”

Tim opened and closed his mouth and Jason took that as enough confirmation.

“Okay, come on,” he said, grabbing Tim’s arm. He pulled him out of his chair and was happy when he didn’t put up much of a fight, more than willing to get as far away from his desk as he could.

“Where are we going, Jason?” Tim huffed, leaning into his side as they walked.

Jason’s fingers slid down from his bicep and gripped lightly at his elbow and upper forearm. “To the kitchen. You need food and I can’t keep giving you coffee to keep you going.”

Tim hummed, voice light and happy in the back of his throat.

Jason turned his head to the side to hide his smile. Warmth bloomed in his chest and he bit his lip to fight back the grin that wanted to pull at his lips.

“Food doesn’t sound so bad. Are you going to cook for me?”

Jason laughed, letting his smile pull his lips over his teeth. “I don’t think Thelma would let me anywhere near her cookware. Not even if she was dying and there was a party of hundreds of people in need of food.”

“Well you don’t get much better than Thelma when it comes to food,” Tim offered.

“Come on,” Jason said, pulling him down the hallway. He stopped when they got to an intersection, struggling to remember if they needed to turn and which way they’d have to turn.

“This way,” Tim said, pulling him to the left.

“I guess I still don’t know my way around,” Jason mumbled.

“Maybe you can lead the way back. It’ll be your first test. And if you get lost, it’ll get me out of my next meeting and you won’t have to bully me into taking a break.”

Jason chuckled. “Are you sure you won’t get in trouble for dodging your meeting?”

Tim shrugged. “I’m sure I can handle whatever fallout happens. And my mother would be more than willing to send a lovely gift basket to make up for my ‘poor behavior,’” he said with a roll of his eyes.

They walked in silence for a moment before Jason remembered something from that morning.

“Hey, Tim? I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“This morning during your first meeting, you seemed unhappy about something. Usually you’re really good about the people you’re talking to and always make them think you’re interested in what they’re saying, but your demeanor changed. What happened?”

Tim cleared his throat, ducking his head to hide his gaze. He took a breath. “I didn’t like how Mr. Thompson looked at you.”

“What do you mean?”

“He looked at you like you weren’t worth anything to him or you weren’t capable of doing anything important or worthwhile simply because of your standing or the way you ate a fucking strawberry. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want him to look at you like that. You didn’t deserve it. You don’t deserve it.”

Jason’s heart thumped painfully in his chest. “Oh,” he forced out, throat tight.

Warmth curled low in his stomach at the idea Tim wanted to protect him. Or that he cared about him and thought he was worth something. It didn’t change the fact that Tim’s family practically owned him, but it was nice to know someone wanted him around.

~~

Jason hummed under his breath as warm water cascaded over his back. He sighed, feeling lighter and more content than he had in a long time. He wasn’t even scared of overstepping his boundaries when he could effectively be tossed out on his ass or shoved into a darker place in the Manor.

He was here with Tim who was kind to him and thought he was good enough as he was.

He grinned and shut off the water of the shower. He’d spent the afternoon making faces at Tim when the people he was meeting with weren’t looking. Tim had grinned like an idiot and Jason had almost made him laugh more than once. He wished he could’ve gotten a chuckle or two to slip out. It would’ve been a small victory on his part to help him take his work less seriously.

Jason ran a towel over his hair and wiped himself down. He shoved his legs into his sleep pants and pulled a shirt over his head, not caring that drops of water fell from his hair and soaked through the material.

He pulled the door open and stepped through, his good mood screeching to a halt. Tim was crumpled on the carpet in the middle of the room. He was shaking and trembling, gasping for breath, the sound wet and heavy in his chest.

“Tim?” Jason croaked.

“J-Jay,” he forced out, something gurgling in his throat.

Jason was at his side in an instant. He rolled Tim onto his back and felt panic constrict his chest at the knife protruding from Tim’s chest. Tim’s hands trembled in the air around the blade, already covered with a layer of blood that had soaked through his shirt around the wound.

“Tim?” he whispered, hands shaking where they hovered over Tim’s body. He wanted to do something. He needed to do something. He couldn’t let Tim bleed out. He couldn’t let him leave him.

Tim tried to smile, and it only made Jason’s heart tighten in his chest.

“It’s going to be okay. We’re gonna get you some help, okay?” he said, trying to reassure himself as much as Tim.

He nodded, trying to smile as blood trickled over his lips. He coughed weakly and grimaced, a line of blood sliding from the corner of his mouth.

“This might hurt,” Jason warned as he gathered Tim into his arms.

Tim groaned as he was cradled in Jason’s arms and they stood. He coughed, more blood dripping from his lips.

“It’s gonna be okay, Tim,” Jason repeated. “It’s gonna be okay.”

He tried to keep Tim stable in his arms as he rushed towards the bedroom door, but Tim’s face twisted up in even more pain with each step he took. The knife still protruded from his chest, but Jason wasn’t stupid enough to pull it out of his chest. That would almost be as bad as shoving the knife in himself.

He gave one last desperate look down at Tim in his arms when a low groan echoed in his chest.

“Help!” Jason called. “Someone help! Please!”

Panic constricted Jason’s chest. He felt helpless. More helpless than he’d felt when Janet had bought him from his mom. He couldn’t lose this. He wouldn’t.

“It’s gonna be okay, Jason,” Tim rasped, placing a shaky hand against his cheek.

Jason’s laugh was tight and hysterical. “I think I should be saying that to you,” he said, trying to breathe through the pain in his chest. “Somebody please help!”

Warm pressure rushed upwards against his eyes and his vision blurred in front of him. He tried to blink it away, but it did nothing.

His ears pounded. He thought it was in his head at first, but he looked up and found a group of people running towards him.

“What happened?” one of the guards cried. “What did you do?”

“Help him,” Jason pleaded, practically shoving Tim into them. “He needs a doctor. Something, please. You can’t let him die.”

“Did you do this?” he growled, piercing eyes boring into Jason.

Jason shook his head. “No! What the fuck-I didn’t. You can interrogate me later, just help him!”

“He di-int,” Tim slurred weakly.

“Lock him up,” the guard snarled, turning on his heel. “I’ll take care of Master Drake.”

Jason didn’t bother fighting the strong hands that gripped his arms and pulled them behind his back. He went limp in their grip as they pulled him along, heels dragging along the carpet as he watched Tim disappear around the corner. He didn’t care what happened to him as long as Tim was okay.

“There was an assassin,” Jason tried as he was dragged down an unfamiliar hallway. “Someone attacked him.”

“And why didn’t you do anything to stop it?” they questioned. “Why didn’t you call for help then instead of waiting until Master Drake had a knife in his chest and was bleeding out?”

“I was in the shower. I didn’t know. This is all my fault,” he muttered miserably.

“You’re right,” they shot back, voices filled with venom. “It is your fault. Because you were the one who stabbed him.”

They hauled Jason up onto his feet and shoved him backwards. He tripped and fell onto his back, head cracking against cold concrete. A metal door squeaked as it banged shut. Keys rattled in the lock on the door, the guards sneering at him one last time before they disappeared from the little window in the door.

Jason curled up on his side and let the tears slide down his cheeks. He wrapped his arms around himself and hoped the one good thing in his life was going to survive. But he knew that if Tim didn’t make it, he wouldn’t live much longer. The Drakes would surely kill him if they thought he was the cause of the death of their heir.

~~

Jason jerked upright at the sound of the metal slat over the window sliding open.

“He’s your meal, you pest,” the guard growled, tossing a loaf of stale bread inside.

“Wait! Wait!” he cried, pushing himself upright to rush over to the door. He gripped the small bars as the guard stared him down. “How’s Tim? Is he okay? Is he alive? What’s going on?”

“You’re a piece of trash you know that?” he scoffed. “First you go and attack Master Drake and then you have the nerve to ask how he’s doing. You don’t deserve to know anything about him and if it wasn’t Lady Drake’s kindness over insisting you be fed, we’d leave you down here to starve.”

Jason shivered as the metal slid shut in front of him and the guard walked away. The cell was cold and damp, and he had no idea how long he’d been trapped there. He blinked against the darkness, letting his eyes adjust before he scrounged for the dirty bread.

He curled up in the corner and squeezed it, fingers digging painfully into the stale roll. He really didn’t care that he was being treated so badly. He just wanted to know Tim was okay. He had to be alive. He had to be.

~~

Every sound was muffled. He felt like he was under water and barely fought down the urge to choke and wretch thinking he needed to expunge water from his lungs. His head was fuzzy, and he struggled to remember what had happened.

Tim squinted, the lights harsh and bright around him. Even when he forgot to close his bedroom curtains, the sunlight was never this bright. He groaned and lifted a heavy hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes to try and clear the harsh light away.

“Timothy?!”

“Mother?” he asked, tongue dragging along his teeth as he fought to form words.

Hands wrapped around his arm and squeezed tightly. He winced and forced his eyes to focus as he blinked several times. Janet looked pale, face gaunt and dark bags standing out under her eyes. Tim had never seen her look so out of sorts. Even when she was exhausted from a late night of charity galas, she always had her makeup done and hair in order, her most perfect smile in place for whomever she needed to greet.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“What’s wrong?!” she cried. “What’s wrong is that you nearly died. You were stabbed in the chest.”

Tim stilled, the memory of a dark figure behind him coming back. The knife had practically slid into his chest without any resistance and blood poured form the wound. Jason’s face came in flashes. His voice was filled with panic as he ran through the halls with him and Tim could see the tears in his eyes as he searched for someone to help.

“Where’s Jason?” he asked, bolting upright. He froze, the world spinning as pain exploded in his chest. His lungs felt ready to burst and his stomach rolled horribly. Janet pushed him back into the sheets and he closed his eyes, fighting to calm his senses and the throbbing that radiated through every inch of his body.

“Jason’s been locked in one of our holding cells. We couldn’t let him roam on his own. Not after what he did to you.”

“What he did to me?” Tim asked. His eyes snapped open. “Wait you don’t think he…” Anger burned his gut and he struggled to sit up. “He didn’t hurt me! Someone broke into my room and stabbed me in the chest. Jason was taking a shower when it happened and if he hadn’t found me and carried me to the guards, I would’ve died. After everything he’s done, how could you think he was the one who hurt me like this?”

“I’m sorry, Timothy. We just thought that he…since he comes from…you can understand that he’s not like-“

“Not like us?” Tim finished for her, voice dripping with venom. “You think that because he doesn’t come from money that makes him an awful person? He’s not stupid. If he wanted to kill me to escape, he wouldn’t have carried me through the Manor to try and find someone to help, he would’ve made off through the window and been long gone before my cold, lifeless body was even found.”

Janet actually looked apologetic for once and nodded, lips pressed together.

“I’ll have him released.”

“You won’t just have him released. You’ll bring him here to me. I want to see him and I’m guessing he has no idea what’s happened to me. Has he even been fed? Or have you been starving and torturing him since you’re so fond of backwards ideals?”

“You need to talk to the police before you see him,” Janet said, voice gentle. She tried to reach for him, but Tim smacked her hand away.

“The police have until Jason gets here to talk to me. And you’ll get him here as fast as you can because I’m not going to sit and wait around for you to call the Manor and have him released. I’ll call them myself if I have to or hijack the nearest taxi to take me home, hospital release forms be damned.”

“No, no,” Janet said, smoothing his hair back even as his anger at her refused to subside. “I’ll call them. And I’ll tell them to bring Jason right away. They’ll even take the car. He’ll be here before you know it.”

Tim glared at her while she continued to brush his hair back. Finally, she pursed her lips and stepped back, pulling out her phone.

“Greg, I need you to release Jason from his cell immediately. Get him into the car and bring him to the hospital. Timothy wants to see him, and I don’t think he’s willing to let him have a shower first.”

“Mother!” Tim protested.

She winced and licked her lips. “And let Jason know that he’s okay. I don’t want him tearing anyone apart if he thinks the worst of Timothy.”

She hung up and turned to offer Tim a tight smile. Tim only glared at her and she sighed before walking out of the room, giving him space since he wasn’t willing to put up with any of her bullshit.

~~

Jason scrambled to his feet when the door rattled before it was pulled open. Light spilled through the opening and he braced his hands on the wall behind him, squinting to try and make out the figures standing there. He hadn’t seen the door open since he’d been thrown in and knew the only way he was getting out of this was because he was dead.

“Let’s go,” the guard who’d ordered his imprisonment said.

“Go?” Jason asked. “Go where?”

“To the hospital,” he ground out, sounding far from happy. “Master Drake has requested your presence.”

“You mean he’s okay?!” Jason asked, hope blooming in his chest as he took a hesitant step forward, legs shaking underneath him. For the first time he didn’t feel cold in every inch of his body and soul. The world wasn’t quite so dark, and he was ready to keep living.

“Enough with the questions. Do you want to see him or not?”

Jason nodded and stumbled forward, hurrying towards the door. The guard shoved him down the hall once he was out. Jason fought to keep his breathing under control as he walked, not wanting to overstep his bounds or get in more trouble after being trapped in a cell for however many days it had been.

A car idled at the bottom of the steps in front of the Manor. A man held the door open and gestured for Jason to get in. He swallowed and hesitated. The guard shoved him forward and Jason didn’t need any more prodding before he rushed forward and threw himself into the backseat, hoping it wasn’t a mistake and he wasn’t being tricked into running towards his own demise.

The door clicked shut behind him and the driver slid into the front seat, pulling away from the Manor.

He was efficient in his driving but not reckless, quickly moving through the streets and navigating traffic without an issue. Jason’s heart beat painfully against his ribs when they pulled into the parking garage of a hospital.

The driver let him out before locking the car and walking briskly towards the skywalk leading into the hospital. Jason trailed after him, his throat tight as they moved through the hallways. He wanted to go faster. He needed to go faster but he didn’t know the way.

The nurses and other visitors barely spared them a glance and Jason worried that too much scrutiny would cause him to break down again.

Jason froze when they turned down a hallway and he spotted Janet standing primly outside a hospital room. She gave him a cool lock as he approached.

“The only reason I’m letting you anywhere near my son is because he insisted it wasn’t you who stabbed him. If I find out you had anything to do with this, you won’t see the light of day ever again.”

“Is that all?” Jason asked, his focus already inside the hospital room where he hoped to find Tim in one piece.

“Careful with what you say to me. I may have gifted you to Timothy, but I was still the one who bought you.”

Jason shook his head and stepped around her, not in the mood to deal with whatever powerplay she was trying to have with him. His hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment, worried that the worst was going to meet his eyes, but if Tim was the one asking for him, then it had to be okay. He swallowed and gripped the doorknob tightly, shoving the door open.

Tim looked up at him where he was sitting in bed. He reached out for him and that was the only invitation Jason needed before he rushed over to his side and gripped his hand tightly in his own. He wanted to crush him in his arms and feel every inch of him, but he didn’t need to cause Tim anymore pain.

The pressure returned to Jason’s eyes and he sniffed, trying to keep himself calm now that he knew Tim was okay. He was alive, and they were together again.

“Tim-“

“Shh, Jason it’s okay. I’m here. We’re okay,” Tim soothed, bringing his other hand to Jason’s check to rub his thumb across his cold and dirt-streaked skin.

“I’m sorry,” Jason muttered. “I’m so fucking sorry. You could’ve died and it would’ve been all my fault and-“

“Jason it’s okay,” Tim insisted, voice gentle between them. “I’m alive. You saved me.”

Jason shook his head and ducked his head, tangling his free hand in the hair at the back of Tim’s neck as he pressed their lips together in a desperate kiss. Tim didn’t understand how much it would’ve broken him if he’d died. And Jason was just realizing it himself. He needed him like plants needed the sun to survive. Tim had moved to the center of Jason’s orbit and he was helpless to it.

Tim gasped against his lips and when Jason tried to pull back, Tim tightened his grip on Jason’s hand and slid the hand resting on Jason’s cheek around to the back of his neck to keep him close.

Jason’s heart beat rapidly for an entirely new reason and the pain and terror coiled in his chest finally started to loosen and dissipate, the warmth of his feelings driving it away. They were both okay. They were going to survive this-they’d already survived this-and Jason wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to Tim again. He was going to keep him close and never let him go.

Jason pulled back with a sigh, his vision blurry from the tears he couldn’t hold back anymore.

“I’m so happy you’re alive. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you,” Jason croaked.

Tim smiled, eyes shining with something soft. “Like I said, you saved me. I know that we didn’t get off to the best start but I’m never letting you go now. I hope you’re okay with that.”

“I’m more than fucking okay with it,” Jason swore, voice low. He prodded Tim who chuckled and willingly moved to one side of the bed. Jason climbed onto the bed next to him and with gentle hands, moved Tim into his lap.

Tim sighed and leaned back against Jason’s chest, pulling his arms around his waist. Jason pressed another kiss to the top of Tim’s head and finally felt whole again. The days he’d been separated from Tim, spending hours with no news on Tim’s condition, had been torture.

But they were together again. They were whole and happy and Jason sure as hell wasn’t going to let Tim be taken from him again. He wasn’t sure he was in love with him yet, but he was well on his way. And there was nothing sweeter than finding love in the most unexpected of places. Despite the hardships he’d faced in life, this was something he was going to cherish forever, he’d make sure of it.

**Author's Note:**

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